“Lean in, connect, learn and celebrate!” – what a great opening summary by Daniel Gannon, Executive Director – Retirement Living Council at the National Retirement Living Summit in Brisbane at the end of June.
With Australia’s housing shortage, there is a growing demand for age-friendly communities, giving retirement communities an opportunity to enhance the well-being of older Australians, as well as supporting everyone in reaching for healthier, happier futures. At the same time, there is an increased pressure on the developers as operator models and consumer requirements change, leaving the retirement living sector to evolve and to ensure that expectations are exceeded across all levels.
The three days were filled with site visits, keynotes, presentations and panels that explored all these issues.
The first summit day started with another great keynote speech from Demographer Simon Kuestenmacher. Simon’s talks are always full of fun and statistics, telling the story of the population development and the actions we need to take in order to provide housing, health and quality of life to all.
The fact is that as the population numbers and the increasing percentage of those over 65 rise, and the retirement communities and aged care facilities will be the fastest growing property segment in Australia in the next decade and beyond. As Simon has nicely stated, the difference between the two is that you choose to move to retirement living but someone else makes the decision of moving to aged care.
Ageing has changed over the decades and I really liked Simon’s presentation on this. Whilst in the 1940s our lifespan was divided in three clear parts – child, adult and old – with the average lifespan lasting an average of 63 years, we now live to an average of 84 years, and our lifespan consists of sections of child, adolescent, adult, lifestyle, retired and old, emphasizing active living whist minimising years spent with illness. This all was summarised with a statement in his other slide – by 2035 Australia will be bigger, more youthful, and older.
This image reflects my own mission slide about Healthspan.
Ageing well reflects the choices we take. Whilst lifespan is purely the years we are alive, healthspan responds to the vision that Simon described in his presentation – Life spent in good health, free from chronic diseases and disabilities of ageing. By living well, including good nutrition, appropriate exercise and social connections, we can minimise the risk of illness and live a longer life with health and wellness, reflected in our quality of life.
An additional health boost is gained with the addition of strength training, strengthspan. Current research evidence is clear – as we age, strength training is a necessity for health. The health effects of muscle strength are way more than mobility or looks, our muscles truly are the reserve banks of our health that fight disease and allow us to avoid chronic disease and slow down physiological ageing. You can read more in my previous blogs:
…and many more.
In the “View from the Top” panel, leaders of the industry discussed the difficulties and opportunities that retirement living in Australia has. In an interview for Australian Ageing Agenda, Daniel Gannon commented in the opportunities that retirement living sectors offer when responding to the issues that relate to the ageing society.
“Retirement villages are uniquely positioned to transform into a one-stop shop on the continuum of care so older Australians can keep ageing in place and ageing well” he stated. “By providing easier access to services – like allied health, physical rehabilitation and restorative care – retirement villages can improve health and independence for residents through preventative care.”
“Without a doubt, this will become a necessity for all retirement villages because positive ageing strategies must be the norm, not the exception.”
The panel discussed several topics. Retire Australia summarised the conversations nicely in a previous post, with the post including some of these statements:
- Investor confidence is driven by long-term fundamentals. Retirement living is no longer just a property play—it’s a care, connection and community proposition; it is often a necessary step for older Australians seeking care, safety and social connection.
- Reputation matters. Culture matters more; the culture of service, contribution and collaboration from team with passion and purpose, to support residents that have pride in their communities.
You can read the full summary here.
Day two started with another inspirational keynote, this time by the amazing Marcus Pearce, who has been an passionate advocate for ageing well for more than a decade, investigating the ways to age well. In his podcast, 100 not out, Marcus and his co-host Dr Damien Kristof invite guests to discuss all things about health, wellness and ageing well, trying to put more quality into the quantity of life.
Last year I was lucky to be the guest of episode 617 discussing Healthspan, Strengthspan and the many benefits of strength training. Our 20 minute planned chat turned to 45 minutes of chatting about the importance of muscles to our health. Finally meeting Marcus in person was gold, with his palpable energy and true passion.
There are so many key things that Marcus talked about, just to mention a few:
- Average longevity happens TO us, quality longevity happens BY us
- It’s never too late to start, but always too early to stop
- May the rest of your life be the best of your life
In his speech Marcus revealed some of his secrets for ageing well, such as family, nutrition, social life, life movement and most importantly, life purpose, all linked to our spirit, heart & soul, quality of life and longevity. There is so much wisdom in his words, I strongly recommend listening to his podcast or purchasing his book, Your exceptional life.
The amazing Janice Chia was part of the technology panel. With her long leadership of Ageing Asia, and global experience on a wide range of models, she had great insights on the opportunities and impact that technology has. In her post about the panel some of the key points included:
- Retirement community living can enable living inspired and supported by a community of like-minded friends
- Technology can offer connectivity to community, integrated and seamless health monitoring, personalised wellness programmes and assisted living technology as required. Technology can assist in creating living environments for older persons that are not just safe and well-run, but joyful, engaging, and purpose-driven, supporting autonomy, dignity and engagement
- “ Technology should serve life — not the other way around. What kind of day do we want residents to wake up to? What kind of environment helps them feel confident, connected, and in control? Let’s design ageing futures that inspire living — at every age.”
During the summit we had an opportunity to celebrate with our clients. Southern Cross Care Inc. (SA, NT, Vic) (SCC) CEO David Moran was inducted as a Retirement Living Council Honorary Life Member, recognising his significant and longstanding contributions to the retirement living sector. David’s vision, passion and leadership have led to an exemplary service that is offered in retirement living, aged care and community health.
In an earlier interview David Moran, commented on the importance of active ageing, towards better health and wellbeing. “Australia – including aged care providers – needs to get serious about health literacy”, states David. “As we continue through a period of aged care reform there are many challenges facing our sector, but by sharing practical examples of health promotion, allied health and reablement in action we can take positive steps towards addressing some of these challenges.”
We have discussed the wonderful services offered by SCC in many articles, such as this article in the Ageing Australia magazine, and this article in our Newsletter.
At the main awards gala we were so happy that Bass Care’s Morgan Glen Iris received two significant awards; The best Community Development, Small Operator, and the main voters award, the Best Retirement Community. It has been wonderful to see the development of the facility, and to see every details of Edward Xuereb’s vision detailed in this beautiful facility, offering assisted living and this quality of life to all. We are so proud to be part of this facility.
It was so wonderful to connect with everyone over the three days; to catch up with old friends and make new connections, to hear about the challenges and the visions, the necessary steps we need to to take to make the future a better place for ageing.
Whilst hurdles exist, the overall feel was positivity and excitement about what lies ahead. We know what the Pillars of Ageing Well are, great success stories on facilities and culture exist. By sharing the stories and collaborating, we can create a future where everyone can age well.
In an interview with Hello Leaders, Daniel reflected on the industry’s Code of Conduct, now in its fifth year, encouraging all operators to get on board, “It’s a clear commitment to higher standards, stronger trust, and better outcomes for residents.”
He also summarised the Retirement Living Industry: Retirement living villages are not just places to live — they’re delivering real health and wellbeing outcomes:
- Residents are 41% happier
- 15% more physically active
- Twice as likely to catch up with family and friends
- Five times more socially engaged
We are so happy to be part of the retirement and 50+ industry and excited about the opportunity to provide everyone a path to ageing well. Healthspan is in the centre of action and part of the path to best ageing, the way we want to do it! Thank you, Daniel and your team, for another great Summit, we will see you again next year!
Best wishes,
Dr Tuire Karaharju-Huisman
Physiotherapist, Accredited Exercise Physiologist (ESSAM), PhD (Biomechanics)
Research Lead, Area Account Manager (Vic, Tas, SA, NT)
